The present invention relates to a beet seed, a beet plant, a beet population, a beet variety, a beet hybrid and to a method of producing beets having a high level of total betalain pigments in the root.
Using color enhancements in food makes certain types of food more aesthetically appealing and appetizing. Previously, research on color enhancement primarily focused on the cosmetic value of colorants until organizations such as the FDA started denying the use of certain colorants. More specifically in the 1970""s, the FDA denied the use of certain coal tar dyes for food coloring. In order to avoid the bans placed on synthetic and manufactured colorants, the food industry started looking to natural plant pigments as a food colorant source. For example, beet pigments (betalains) are a native red colorant that is useful as a food coloring. Betalain pigments include the red-violet betacyanins (BC) and the yellow betaxanthins (BX), which when combined, produce a red hue useful in certain foods as a colorant. One source of betalains that is readily available is the garden beet. Thus garden beets have become a source of betalains for the red pigment. The beet juice concentrates and powders made from standard table beets typically contain pigment concentrations of 1% or less. These concentrations are relatively low and therefore require large quantities of beets to reach desired levels of pigment. These low concentrations make the preparation of purified red food colorants from beet sources more difficult and costly than they would be at higher concentrations. Moreover, beet extracts naturally contain solutes, such as sugars, which also hinder the production of high concentrations.
Several breeding experiments have already been done to elevate the betalain concentrations in beets (Beta vulgaris L.). The beets were obtained through a recurrent selection process where the highest pigment beets for flowering, open pollination, and subsequent seed production were selected. The beets selected were selected for both increased pigment levels and high and low total dissolved solids. The naturally contained dissolved solids such as sugars in beet extracts have been found to limit the production of highly concentrated pigment solutions for food dyes (von Elbe; J., 1978, The betalains, p. 29-39. In: T. E. Furia (ed.) Current aspects of food colorants. CRC Press, Cleveland, Ohio). Successful selection for concentrations of pigment and dissolved solids depends on the availability of adequate genetic variability for both traits and a favorable genetic correlation between traits a (Wolyn D J and Gabelman W H, 1990, Selection for betalain pigment concentration and total dissolved solids in red table beets. J Amer Soc Hort Sci 115 (1):165-169). The average pigment level in a beet ranges from 75 to 80 milligrams (mg) of pigment per 100 grams (g) fresh weight of the beet. There is a need for a quantitative increase in betalain concentrations to improve the commercial applications of betalain as a food colorant. Beets having high concentrations of pigment would make the preparation of natural red colorants easier and less costly.
The present invention relates to a beet seed, a beet plant, a beet population and to a method for producing a beet plant.
More specifically, the invention relates to a beet root having high concentrations of betalain pigment of over 310 mg per 100 g of fresh weight.
An aspect of this invention is to provide a beet that has a pigment concentration of greater than 310 mg per g of fresh weight of the beet root which makes the preparation of food colorant from the beet easier and less costly.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide a hybrid beet plant. The present invention further relates to a method of producing a high pigment beet by crossing the high pigment beet of the instant invention with another beet plant.
Another aspect of the present invention to provide populations of red beets having betalain concentrations at levels convenient for commercial purification of pigment for use as food colorants.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide high pigment/low solids and high pigment/high solids beet populations to further facilitate in the production of purified pigment for use as food colorant.
The present invention also relates to the transfer of the increased pigment level into other genetic backgrounds.
The present invention also relates to a method of making a high pigment beet by crossing high pigment/high solids (HPHS) populations with high pigment/low solids (HPLS) populations to produce a beet root having a pigment content of at least 310 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet root.
In order to provide an understanding of some of the terms in the specification and claims, the following definitions are provided:
Pigment concentration: As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cpigment concentrationxe2x80x9d is the amount of total betalain pigment, including both betacyanin and betaxanthin, in the beet root, expressed as milligrams of pigment per 100 gram fresh weight.
HPHS population: As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cHPHS populationxe2x80x9d is a population of table beet plants undergoing recurrent selection for elevated betalain pigment concentration. The HPHS population was selected for high pigment and high total dissolved solids. The HPHS population was originally formulated by Watson and Gabelman at the University of Wisconsin. Recurrent selection in the HPHS population was continued by Wolyn, Goldman, and Breitbach.
HPLS population: As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cHPLS populationxe2x80x9d is a population of table beet plants undergoing recurrent selection for elevated betalain pigment concentration. The HPLS population was selected for high pigment and low total dissolved solids. The HPLS population was originally formulated by Watson and Gabelman at the University of Wisconsin. Recurrent selection in the HPLS population was continued by Wolyn, Goldman, and Breitbach.
Betalain pigment: As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cbetalain pigmentxe2x80x9d is a class of pigments unique to the plant order Caryophylalleles. Betalain pigments are derivatives of be talamic acid and can be classified into two groups: The red-violet betacyanins (BC) and the yellow betaxanthins (BX). These differ by conjugation of a substituted aromatic nucleus to the 1,7-diazaheptamethinium chromophore, which is present in betacyanin.
Betacyanins (BC): As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cbetacyanins (BC)xe2x80x9d is a derivative of betalamic acid that has a conjugated substituted aromatic nucleus to the 1,7-diazaheptamethinium chromophore. Betacyanin is red-violet in color.
Betaxanthins (BX): As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cbetaxanthins (BX)xe2x80x9d is a derivative of betalamic acid that does not contain the conjugated substituted aromatic nucleus to the 1,7-diazaheptamethinium chromophore. Betaxanthin is yellow in color.
Current commercial beets and unselected beet populations typically have betalain concentrations in the range of 70 to 80 milligrams per 100 grams weight of fresh weight beet extract. By using the selection procedures disclosed below in connection with the beet populations, it has been found that it is possible to increase the betalain concentrations in red beet to unexpected levels exceeding 310 mg per 100 g of fresh weight.
In the present invention, a beet having a pigment content of at least 310 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet was developed. The pigment content of the present invention may exceed 310 mg per 100 g of fresh weight of the beet. In one embodiment, the pigment content is between 310 mg and 330 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet. In another embodiment the pigment content is between 330 mg and 350 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet root. The pigment content is between 350 mg and 370 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet in another embodiment. In yet another embodiment, the pigment content is between 370 mg and 390 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet. In still another embodiment, the pigment content is between 390 mg and 410 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet.
The high pigment beet plants of the present invention was developed by crossing high pigment/high solid (HPHS) populations with high pigment/low solid (HPLS) populations and selecting for high pigment roots or by selecting within either the HPHS or HPLS populations. The beet root preferably has a pigment content of at least 310 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet root. Beet roots were selected for both increased pigment and high and low total dissolved solids. As levels of solids decrease, there is an increase in efficiency in preparing concentrated beet juice.
In the present invention a high pigment beet was produced by crossing a first high pigment beet population with another different beet or beet population. The high pigment beet population preferably has a pigment content of greater than 310 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet.
In another method of the present invention a high pigment beet was produced having a pigment content of at least 310 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet root. According to the method, a first high pigment beet is crossed with a second beet and the resultant beet seed is harvested. The high pigment beet used in the method has a pigment content of at least 310 mg per 100 g of fresh weight of the first beet. The pigment content of the beet produced by the method may also vary from 310 mg to over 400 mg per 100 g fresh weight of the beet root. A hybrid plant or its parts is produced by growing the high pigment beet. Seed is then produced from the hybrid plant.